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C643

Silence reigned during the rest of the flight. Khan focused on drinking, Mister Cirvags didn't have a care in the world, and Ambassador Abores upheld the restrained behavior required by his status.

Of course, that was only a superficial behavior that didn't reflect the three men's minds. Ambassador Abores was envious and curious, while Khan's thoughts were still on Cegnore's natives. As for Mister Cirvags, his brain was impenetrable.

The atmosphere was far from relaxed, but the three men were professionals. They didn't let the tension get to them, and that silent stalemate went on until the car began to descend.

Khan had often looked past the window, so he recognized the location. That was the second district. The car had brought him to his building, and its vast sidewalk was pleasantly empty. However, onlookers were visible in distant blocks.

The car landed on the sidewalk, and the three men didn't exchange any pleasantries while Khan's door opened on its own. The meeting was ending on a silent note, and no one wanted to change that.

Khan didn't wait for those changes. He left the car, taking the bottle with him. It was almost empty, but wasting drops wasn't an option in his current mood. His appearance even thrilled the onlookers in the distance, but his figure disappeared before anyone could get pictures.

Before anyone could notice, Khan had entered his building, and the privacy allowed him to stroll toward the elevator. In a matter of seconds, he got inside his flat, and reaching the main hall changed his mood.

Monica had left after Khan, and the flat showed that. All kinds of clothes and shoes occupied the couches, floor, and tables, basically telling Khan what she had decided to bring to Neuria.

The flat's cleaning robots could easily handle that mess, but the fact that Monica didn't activate them hinted at a planned move. She had decided to leave the place in that state for a reason, and the smile on Khan's face proved her right.

'That silly girl,' Khan sighed. 'I would have been fine even without this.'

Due to the limitations of the Empire's domain, Khan and Monica couldn't contact each other even after one returned to the Harbor. Khan had left first, so Monica created that mess to welcome him back properly.

The welcome did wonders to Khan's mood. The love he felt for his girlfriend overwhelmed his negative thoughts and led his legs toward the nearest couch. Monica's clothes left no seats open, but Khan lay on them to immerse himself in her lingering scent.

'A man can't even punish himself,' Khan cursed, rubbing his healthy cheek on a skirt under his head.

Initially, Khan had planned to keep drinking and starve himself a bit to match the bad taste left by the meeting with Onp. Yet, the love that surrounded him enforced a positive reaction. Monica would suffer if he let himself go, and he couldn't allow it.

Khan drew his phone and began to check his messages. Most came from the descendants Madam Solodrey had included in the Neuria business and mainly involved formal thanks. Others covered notifications from the network regarding notable events or Jenny's updates.

Nevertheless, Khan quickly ignored that meaningless noise to focus on the names he truly cared about. Monica had left messages before her departure, Andrew had written weekly updates, and Headmistress Holwen was requesting a call.

'If Andrew couldn't come to greet me,' Khan thought, 'The situation must be really messy.'

Andrew was a dutiful soldier, so his absence could only mean that Khan's fame had increased while on Cegnore. Checking the network confirmed that. Anything surrounding the planet was classified, but the general public still knew Khan had joined the Thilku's ranks for a period.

'He must have received directives to stay put to avoid attracting more attention,' Khan realized. 'That failed.'

Khan looked at the Headmistress' message before gazing at the messy hall. He didn't want to stand up, but his stomach growled, and his flat obviously had a stash of food. He could let Andrew handle that stuff, but the current solitude was better than that.

A groan escaped Khan's mouth as he stood up and crossed the hall to reach the appointed drawers. The bottle was empty by then, and he left it on a table before retrieving cans of food and another drink. He stuffed the former in his tracksuit due to his single viable hand, but that barely hindered him.

Khan hurried to his usual bedroom, and another smile broadened on his face when he saw the state of the mattress. The blankets were no different than the main hall, but Monica had opted for sexier clothes there. Khan even recognized most of the bras and underwear.

'I'm thinking about you, alright,' Khan laughed, lying among that expression of love. He briefly immersed himself in it before taking out the food, and a short feast began.

After eating, Khan focused on his phone again. Nothing much had happened with Francis, so he reassured Andrew and let him go for the night. As for the Headmistress, he reread her message before moving to Monica's.

'I know my dear scoundrel through and through,' Khan read on the phone. 'You are probably injured and dying to see me because I'm all you can think about. We'll be together again in no time. I belong in your arms, and, in my mind, I'm always there.'

'I must have truly worried her,' Khan sighed, lowering his phone. That romantic letter wasn't Monica's style. She would have usually whined about something before leaving a tempting line, so Khan understood the different mood from those few words.

The Headmistress' message was still there, but Khan didn't feel like dealing with it now. He had nothing to say to her, and his body needed rest. Moreover, the bed of underwear and bras finally allowed him to think free of his negativity.

Khan didn't take what he had done lightly for even a second. He could find countless excuses to justify his actions and bring them to a morally light realm. However, the core of the issue remained. He had told the Empire how to commit genocide.

That was one of the terrible things Khan always claimed to be able to do to achieve his goals, and he had proven himself right. He was willing to shoulder the weight of that dreadful act, but his suffering reassured him. He would avoid falling completely into the darkness if it pained him to commit those horrible decisions.

Still, that personal reassurance couldn't be the end. Khan couldn't just move on and forget. He had given up on an easy answer to his questions on Cegnore, but his search was far from over.

'I got closer,' Khan thought, summarizing everything he knew about the Nak, 'But what's the next step?'

The Nak had attacked many species to spread their mana and enforce mutations. That much was confirmed by now, and the limits of their species were one of the reasons. The Nak couldn't evolve anymore, so they needed to find someone who could.

As for why, Khan could guess the Nak needed to find a species able to surpass them. The goal was to inherit mana itself or protect it from some kind of threat, which, apparently, the Nak couldn't do. The danger was also unknown, but the nightmares told Khan it was authentic, at least for the Nak.

'If the Nak embody the mana,' Khan wondered, 'Wouldn't mana itself carry more answers?'

Khan was after the few key elements the puzzle missed, and the mana could provide a path. Yet, he had been in contact with the symphony since Nitis and had never sensed anything that deep or universal. His perception could still expand, but that wasn't something he could accelerate. It would naturally improve as his level rose.

'That's the same as standing still,' Khan thought, 'Which gives me room for other options.'

Khan obviously thought about his father. Bret's barriers were still inside his mind, so he could know more. The Global Army was clearly researching the subject, too, so searching for answers among humankind's upper echelons sounded reasonable.

However, something told Khan that the Global Army had yet to find the Nak's system. Also, the secrecy around the topic hinted at a danger that Khan might not be able to face. He had been lucky to defeat a fourth-level warrior, but far bigger threats existed in the universe.

Moreover, Khan was advancing on that path, too. His relationship with Monica was already pushing him toward humankind's upper echelons. If he continued like that, he would get in touch with people with answers without making waves, which was the safer option.

Khan checked his phone before dropping it again. Even if he wanted to, contacting his father would take time. The teleports would make the trip back to Earth short, but that wouldn't be the end, and Khan wasn't exactly free.

'I have the public anniversary,' Khan recalled, 'The private anniversary, my birthday, the Alstair family, and the Thilku. Rick's marriage also is in five months.'

Realistically, most obligations weren't too time-consuming, but the Thilku and Rick's marriage remained unknown variables. Mister Cirvags might send Khan on another lengthy mission for the Empire, and he didn't know how long things were when noble families were involved.

Of course, Khan could force the Global Army's hand if he truly wished to, but his internal struggle remained. He wanted to pursue the Nak, but not by sacrificing what made him happy. He had made the same decision on Cegnore, so causing a political mess just to return to Earth immediately didn't sound worth it.

After excluding those options, Khan only found two viable paths that could use some effort. One was hard to pursue since it involved Raymond, while the other required a meeting with Lord Vegner, the collector of exotic items and owner of a popular chain of brothels.

'Lord Vegner might be easier to approach,' Khan thought, 'Especially if I have Monica with me.'

After reaching that conclusion, Khan felt exhausted. He took a long sip from his drink before closing his eyes. For once, he would love to have a dreamless night. He was also willing to settle for certain dreams about Monica, but the reality was different. Sleeping only led to one outcome, and Khan felt it coming.

'I need to resume studying the runes,' Khan recalled, his thoughts growing drowsy. 'At least the Thilku didn't share everything I've done on Cegnore. These days would never end otherwise.'

Those drowsy thoughts were random and didn't truly take into consideration Khan's status. For now, he only cared about retaining that frail peace and the secrecy was helping.

Khan quickly fell asleep, and the nightmare arrived on time. Still, waking up destroyed his past belief. To his surprise, news from Cegnore had gone public, including classified events limited to his stay with the Thilku.

To be continued